49ers deeper at receiver

Gwen Knapp

Published
4:00 am PDT, Tuesday, May 19, 2009

If the 49ers' decision to draft Michael Crabtree in the first round somehow traumatized the team's promising young receivers, they have hidden it well. Josh Morgan said he practically salivated, immediately envisioning defenses distracted by the collegiate superstar.

"More room for me," the second-year receiver said Monday after a voluntary workout at team headquarters.

Jason Hill barely could remember exactly where he was when the team picked Crabtree at No. 10 last month. At home in Sacramento, he said at first, and then he stopped. No, wait, he was at the team's big draft party at the Santa Clara Convention Center, signing autographs for fans. A couple of them, apparently a few beers into the day, joked with him: "Jay, you better watch out."

Dominique Zeigler, on a Vegas vacation, was sleeping in his room at the Bellagio and got a text message from his mom, "a big football fanatic."

Crabtree's arrival has the potential to threaten them all - their places on the roster, playing time and balls thrown their way. But he also transforms them as a group, giving the 49ers, once desperately parched for receiving talent, a deep pool, full of youthful potential.

Chronicle columnist, Gwen Knapp, stands for a photograph inside the studio on Wednesday Jan. 28, 2008 in San Francisco,Calif.

Chronicle columnist, Gwen Knapp, stands for a photograph inside the studio on Wednesday Jan. 28, 2008 in San Francisco,Calif.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

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Chronicle columnist, Gwen Knapp, stands for a photograph inside the studio on Wednesday Jan. 28, 2008 in San Francisco,Calif.

Chronicle columnist, Gwen Knapp, stands for a photograph inside the studio on Wednesday Jan. 28, 2008 in San Francisco,Calif.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

49ers deeper at receiver

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"I think there is a sense of urgency in some of the guys," coach Mike Singletary said when asked if the draft pick had made a difference in the receiving corps. "... I think it's a very natural thing. ... It adds some excitement."

The veteran receivers - Isaac Bruce and Arnaz Battle - exercised their prerogatives to skip the voluntary workouts this week, leaving enough reps for the youngsters. Crabtree, still recovering from foot surgery in March, can only watch. Morgan, Hill and Zeigler - all under 25 - need the time to translate offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye's playbook into action.

"I'm trying to prove something. I want to be That Guy," Hill said, emphasizing that he wanted greater mastery over the mental parts of his job. "I know they brought in some guys, but I want to be That Guy. I want to go out there and not only say I'm the best receiver on our team but prove it. That's why I'm here, to get better every day. I want to be the best receiver we have."

If Hill can add sophisticated nuances to his routes, his speed and ability to shift gears could become valuable assets for the 49ers. Morgan already has shown a real presence on the field; he simply has to stay healthy. Zeigler tends to sneak up on opponents, as if he sauntered in from the sideline after the snap. Crabtree's presence will make it only easier for him to be overlooked and then exploit the neglect. He might have to fight for the last roster spot, and his continued practice to become a backup punt returner could make the difference.

Zeigler walked out of team meetings Monday carrying a playbook about 6 inches thick. The plays, he said, aren't as complex as the ones Mike Martz designed for the team last year, but Raye's book is probably thicker. He has included detailed summaries about the plays, trying to explain everyone's role.

"We sit down and I learn things about the offensive line I had no idea about," Zeigler said.

On an older team, that might not go over so well. For these receivers, it seems ideal.

Zeigler and Morgan had a chance to spend some time off the field with Crabtree recently, when they all gathered in Washington for a party to celebrate the drafting of Vernon Davis' younger brother, Vontae, an Illinois cornerback who went to Miami as the 25th overall pick.

"He's kind of quiet," Morgan said, backing up an assessment from Crabtree's college coach, Mike Leach.

Hill, the father of a young son, has to minimize his social life outside the home, which means skipping cross-country party trips as well as the informal basketball games his peers play at a South Bay gym. Zeigler and Morgan regularly join some other teammates, and when the cross-training Niners lost a pickup game, Zeigler said the results turned up immediately on a social-networking site.

He didn't say whether he learned about that faster than he found out about the draft pick. His ego seemed equally untouched by both. The basketball games are supposed to keep him sharp, and Crabtree might do the same.